Artificial leather and process of making the same.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN MEERS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ARTIFICIAL LEATHER AND PROCESS OF NIAKING THE SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 4, 1906.

Application filed March 21, 1906- Serial No. 307,274.

York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aran artificialleather wherein the backing or tificial Leather and Processes of Makingthe game, of which the following is a specificaion.

The object of my invention is to produce artificial or imitation leatherpossessing substantially all the physical characteristics of naturalleather. Many attempts have been made heretofore to produce such aproduct, and various substitutes for leather are now found on themarket; but, so far as I am aware, these products are open to one ormore ob ectionssuch as being inflammable, nonmoisture-proof, easilyaffected by changes in temperature, or have a tendency to loseflexibility or pliability after a comparatively brief period of use. Mynew roduct is devoid of these and many other defects inherent in theartificial leathers now on the market and is more durable than naturalleather.

In the manufacture of my new product I employ, preferably and generally,a single layer of fabric as the foundation thereof, apply thereto abasic coating which is water and 011 repellent, and superimpose on saidbasic coating one or more other coatings- The process followed in theproduction of this novel product is also new.

In practically carrying out my invention I take any suitable sheetmaterial-such as drill, sateen, canvas, duck, or sheeting-and applythereto a foundation layer or coating of waterproof material, such as asolution of nitrocellulose (soluble cotton) in a suitable solvent, suchas amyl acetate, the said nitrocellulose sollution being free, orsubstantially free from o1 I may add to this basic coating, andpreferably do, any suitable pigment ground in castor-oil. About twoparts of'any suitable pigment may be ground with one part of oil, and toeach gallon of the nitrocellulose solution I add about one pound of thesaid mixture of oil and pigment. This basic coating, being of an oil andwater re ellent character, protects the fabric from t e oil subsequentlyused as an ingredient in a composition employed as a second coat' Thisis an im ortant feature of my invention, since it enab es me to roducean artificial leather product the fafi ric forming the foundation ofwhich is protected by a water andoil proof coatin substantially freefrom oil, whereas in the imitation leathers as now made from a singlelayer of fabric the said fabric is more or less saturated with oil, aparticularly disadvantageous characteristic.

In the processes now employed to obtain base of cloth is free orsubstantially free from oil it is customary to use two layers of fabricunited by any suitable adhesive or cement, the layer of fabric on whichthe coatings are. applied and the cement intermediate the fabricsthereby protecting the basic layer of fabric. The economy and otheradvantages of the artificial leather produced by my process over theproduct just described are very apparent.

Though enerally unnecessary, I may, if desired, ma e two or moreapplications of the nitrocellulose solution to the fabric to form thesaid basic layer or coating. If acetoneoil or fusel-oil is employed asan ingredient in the preparation of t e nitrocellulose solution, then itIS unnecessary to use oil, as stated, with the pigment, though it isgenerally desirable and advantageous to do so. The singlecoated product,prepared as described, is now calendered by passing it through hotrolls, thereby giving a smooth polished foundation coating without inany way deteriorating the fabric. This operation dispenses with the stepof rubbing down with pumice, so commonly employed. If found desirable,however, I mayrub down, as usual. After the application of the basiccoating, as described, I apply thereto a second coating of an entirelydifferent character and consisting of a suitable drying-oil,such aslinseed-oil, to

which I may add pigments, and also, if desired, a small proportion of asuitable solution of raw or vulcanized rubber for the purpose ofincreasing the flexibility or pliabllity of such coating. The presenceof the pigment in this second coating renders such coating practicallynon-inflammable. Furthermore, this second coating is much less 'expensive than a pyroxylin solution, thereby contributing to the economyof the process. After this second coating has become dry the leathersurface thus produced may be embossed or pebbled to imitategrain-leather, after which it may or may not be varnished. If it isdesired to produce a smooth patentleather surface, the graining isomitted and the roduct varnished by a suitable patentleat er varnish,such as a mixture of a dry- 4 tificial leather composed of a layer ofmateaving applied thereto av foundation coating resultmg from the appli-1 absorbative, practically non-inflammable,

and is adapted as a substitute for leather for nearly all urposes. Itwill be apparent also that t e product can be expeditiously andeconomically manufactured.

While I have specifically referred to a fabric as the basic material towhich I apply the coatings described, it will be obvious that othermaterial may also be used, and, further, that the two coatings producedas described may be utilized inde endently of the fabric or basicmaterial.

varied in etails, both as to the ingredients used and the proceduredescribed, without departing from or sacrificing any of the advantagesof the invention. I

- Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Let-- ters Patent, is A 1. As a new article of manufacture, anartificial leather com osed of a layer of mate? rial in sheet form,aving applied thereto a foundation coating of water roof materialsubstantially free from oil, an on top of said foundation coating, asecond coating of material composed of a drying-oil and a suitablepigment.

2. Asa new'a rticle of manufacture, an arrial in sheet form,

cation thereto of a solution of soluble cotton or nitrocellulose, andhaving applied to said foundation coating, a second coating of adrying-oil and a pigment.

3. s a new article of manufacture, an artificial leather com osed of alayer of material in sheet form, ving ap lied thereto a calenderedcoatingof pyroxy on which is superimposed a second coating containingoxidized linseed-oil.

4. As a new article of manufacture, an artificial leather com osed of alayer of material' in sheetqform, waterproof, composition substantiallyfree from a cioating of a drying-oil and a igment superimposed thereon,and a t 'rd coat' of a suitable varnish.

5. T e herein-described artificial leather composed of a single layer offabric substanurthermore, it. Wlll be ap arent that'the process may beving applied thereto a 1 tially free from oil, a coating formed from anitrocellulose solution substantially free from oil thereon, and anoxidized oil coating superimposed on the nitrocellulose coating.

6. The herein-described product composed of a base of fabric and havingtwo coatings on one side thereof, the first of which is substantiallyfree from oil and is water and oil rproof, said product being flexible,pliable, and substantially non-inflammable.

7. As a new article of manufacture, an artificial leather com osed of alayer of material in sheet form, aving applied thereto a water roofcomposition, a coating of a drying-oi and a pigment superimposedthereon, and a third coatin of a suitable varnish forming patent-leaterdressing for the resulting product.

8. The process of producing artificial leather which consists inapplying to a fabric a basic coating of-a waterproof compositionsubstantially free from oil, and then applying 1 to saigl basic coatinga coating consisting of a mixture of an oxidizable oil and a pigment.

9. The process of producing artificial leather which consists inapplying to a fabric abasic coatin of a waterproof'compositionsubstantially ee from oil, calendering said coating, and then applyingto said basic coating a second coating consisting of a mixture of anoxidizable oil and a pigment.

10. The rocess of producing artificial leather whic consists in applyingto .a fabric a single layer of basic coating of soluble cotton, andsuperimposing thereon a second coating of oxidized linseed-oil.containing a pigment.

11. The rocess of producing artificial leather whic consists in applyingto a fabric,

a basic coating of soluble cotton, calendering the same, and then aplying thereto a second coating of a drying-oil containing a igment. 12.The process of producing artificial pat- ;ent-leather' which consists inapplying to a fabric a basic coating of waterproof material, polishingand smoothing the same, appllying thereto a mixture containing oxidizedo and then a plyinga coating of varnish to of two subscribing witnesses.

- STEPHEN MEERS.

Witnesses:

JAS. H. GRIFFIN,

H. I. BERNHARD.

glve a patenteather finish to the resulting I

